Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Mentone
Dryer vent cleaning in Mentone typically runs $129 – $249 for a single-family home, and most jobs are completed in under two hours. The catch in this part of the San Bernardino foothills is that many older homes don’t vent dryers the way modern houses do. We routinely find dryer exhaust lines spliced into clay-tile fireplace flues or buried inside masonry chases that were built decades before anyone thought about venting an appliance through them. That changes what a cleaning actually involves, and it’s why camera inspection is part of every job we do in 92359. If you live in Mentone and haven’t had your dryer vent checked, call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll give you an honest assessment based on what we see on screen, not a guess.
Why Ashwood Chimney Sweep Is Mentone’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
Norm Castillo started Ashwood Chimney Sweep because he kept walking into Mentone homes where a handyman had cleaned the dryer vent but missed the real problem sitting three feet away in the shared chimney chase. That pattern, a dryer feeding into a stack that was never designed for it, shows up constantly in the 1940s through 1970s foothill and ranch homes that line the streets off Highway 38 and through the canyon-mouth neighborhoods. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team knows what to look for before the brush even goes in.
Mentone homeowners call us because we treat the dryer vent as part of the whole ventilation system, not an isolated pipe. When a dryer shares a masonry stack with a fireplace, lint, creosote, and canyon sediment mix in ways that a standalone vent never sees. We run a camera down the flue and show you the screen. You see the obstruction. You see the spalled mortar. You decide with real evidence, not a sales pitch.
Our reputation in Mentone is built on that camera-first approach. Homeowners in 92359 have told us the same thing again and again: another company quoted a full reline without ever running a scope. We don’t do that. If the liner is actually failing, we’ll show you the cracks on camera. If it’s just lint and grit blocking the flue, we’ll tell you that too, and the bill reflects only the work that’s needed.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning Services in Mentone
Dryer Vent Cleaning
A full dryer vent cleaning in Mentone means clearing lint from the entire run, from the dryer connection to the exterior termination. In older foothill homes where the run travels through a wall, under a floor, or into a masonry chase, that path is longer and collects more than typical suburban homes. We use rotary brushes sized to the pipe and verify airflow before and after. If the vent shares space with a fireplace flue, we check that too, because lint and creosote in the same chase is a combination no homeowner wants sitting behind drywall. Our flat-price sweep is agreed before we book, and camera inspection is standard, not an add-on.
Dryer Vent Rerouting and Re-termination
Not every dryer vent in Mentone can be saved by cleaning alone. We’ve worked on ranch-style houses off the Mill Creek Canyon mouth where the dryer vent was spliced into the side of a clay-tile fireplace flue, a setup that was never legal or safe. When that happens, the right fix is re-terminating the dryer with proper rigid pipe and a pest-resistant cap rated for the appliance, then sealing the abandoned penetration in the masonry. We use Famco ventilation components because they’re manufactured for this exact purpose. Improvised fixes are how these problems started, so we don’t repeat them.
Flue and Chase Inspection During Dryer Vent Work
Every dryer vent cleaning in Mentone includes a Level 1 inspection of the surrounding flue liner and smoke chamber when the dryer shares or sits adjacent to the masonry stack. This matters in 92359 because so many homes were built with unlined or clay-tile flues, and 70 years of heat cycles plus Santa Ana wind debris creates conditions that a dryer-only contractor will never see. First-degree creosote can be creeping toward a glaze a brush can’t touch, and if your dryer is feeding warm, moist air into that same chase, the problem compounds. We show you what we find. No blind recommendations.
Dryer Vent Cap Replacement and Pest Exclusion
Mentone sits at the mouth of Mill Creek Canyon, which means birds, rodents, and ember-laden debris are constant pressure on exterior vent terminations. A missing or damaged cap lets all three into the line. We replace caps as part of the cleaning when needed, and we stock sizes that fit the vent pipes common to the area’s older housing stock. If your cap is rusted through or hanging loose after a wind event, we’ll point it out on the report and give you a price for replacement on the spot. No follow-up visit required.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Mentone
We stock and install materials from the professional chimney trade, not the clearance aisle. For dryer vent work in Mentone, that means Famco ventilation components, including caps and terminations built to spec rather than improvised. For flue repairs and liner work, we source from Olympia Chimney and Copperfield, and install DuraFlex liner systems when a reline is genuinely required. These are the same materials certified chimney contractors specify nationwide, available to us because we work in this trade every day. For Mentone homeowners, that means the parts we bring to your house are the right ones, sized correctly, and installed to last in canyon wind conditions.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Mentone Homes
- Dryer vents spliced into fireplace flues. In Mentone’s 1940s – 1970s ranch and foothill homes, we regularly find dryer exhaust lines tied into clay-tile fireplace chimneys. The flue was never sized or rated for appliance venting, and the combination of dryer lint and creosote in one chase is a serious fire hazard.
- Lint matted with canyon sediment and charred leaf bits. After a Santa Ana wind event or a nearby mountain fire, our techs find dryer vent lines packed with lint mixed with fine sediment and charred debris blown down Mill Creek Canyon. This is a Mentone-specific pattern, and it means cleaning schedules here are set by fire season, not by dryer usage alone.
- Upsell pressure from contractors who never ran a camera. We’ve met too many Mentone homeowners who were quoted a full chimney reline after a dryer vent cleaning, without any camera evidence. In several cases, the actual problem was lint and grit blocking a flue the appliance was never meant to share. We show you the screen before we quote the repair.
- Missing or damaged vent caps after wind events. The canyon mouth is a wind tunnel during Santa Ana conditions. Caps get blown loose, birds move in, and ember debris follows. A missing cap on a dryer vent is an open invitation for pests and fire risk, and it’s one of the most common findings on our Mentone jobs.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Mentone, CA
A standard dryer vent cleaning in Mentone runs $129 – $249 for a single-family home with an accessible vent run. Homes where the dryer vents into a masonry chase or shares a stack with a fireplace add $75 – $150 for the flue inspection and any chase access work. Re-termination with proper rigid pipe and a new cap typically runs $175 – $350 depending on run length and wall access. If a liner repair or reline is genuinely needed, we’ll show you the camera footage and quote it separately, with zero obligation. Every estimate is free. Call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll give you a firm price before we book.
We Also Serve Cities Near Mentone
Ashwood Chimney Sweep works throughout the San Bernardino foothills and the surrounding valley communities. If you’re in Mentone, we’re already nearby, and we regularly serve homeowners in Redlands, Yucaipa, Highland, and Calimesa as well. The older housing stock and canyon wind patterns are similar across this corridor, so the same camera-first approach applies. One call covers the whole area.
Serving Mentone, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Mentone area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Dryer Vent Cleaning in Mentone
It’s common in Mentone’s 1940s through 1970s foothill homes, but it isn’t safe or code-compliant. We see it regularly in the ranch-style houses off Highway 38 and near the canyon mouth, where builders or previous owners tied dryer exhaust into a clay-tile flue because it was the easiest path. The flue was never sized or rated for a dryer. We can assess the setup on camera and re-terminate the dryer properly if needed. Call (833) 805-3229 for a free estimate.
Santa Ana winds drive ember-laden debris, charred leaf bits, and fine canyon sediment into exterior vent terminations and down shared chimney chases. After a wind event or nearby mountain fire, we routinely find dryer vent lines in 92359 packed with lint matted with that debris. If your vent shares a stack with a fireplace, the buildup is faster and the fire risk is higher. A cleaning after fire season, before the winter burn, is the schedule that makes sense here.
No. We recommend a reline only when the camera shows liner damage that actually calls for it. Contractors who quote a full reline without running a scope are the reason we insist on evidence on screen. If your clay-tile flue has spalling mortar or cracks, we’ll show you. If it’s just lint and grit, we’ll clean it and tell you the reline can wait. Nothing is recommended that you can’t see for yourself. Call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll walk you through what the camera shows.
NFPA 211 is the fire code standard for chimneys, fireplaces, and vents, and it applies to the whole system, not just the part you called about. In Mentone, where dryers are often vented into or beside fireplace flues, a dryer vent cleaning without a Level 1 inspection of the surrounding flue misses exactly what NFPA 211 exists to catch: obstructions, creosote buildup, and liner damage. We follow that standard on every job, because skipping it is how hazards get missed.
If your dryer vents into or beside a fireplace flue, watch for a burning smell when the dryer runs, visible dark buildup around the fireplace damper, or reduced airflow from the dryer. These can indicate creosote accumulating in the shared chase. In Mentone’s older homes, this is a common and dangerous condition. We’ll inspect the flue with a camera during your dryer vent cleaning and show you exactly what’s in there. Call (833) 805-3229 to schedule.
Written by Norm Castillo, Owner at Ashwood Chimney Sweep, serving Mentone and the San Bernardino foothills since 1994.